Network access technology indication

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are provided for exchanging network connection access technology information amongst nodes in a communication network. An access point device such as a router can include an indication of the access technology used for its network connection in a local network advertisement message. A network device can connect to the router using one type of access technology, but use the router&#39;s network access technology type to determine its operating information.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority to previously filed U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/189,024 entitled “NETWORK ACCESSTECHNOLOGY INDICATION” filed on Jul. 6, 2015 and to previously filed PCTInternational Application Number PCT/IB2016/050773 entitled “NETWORKACCESS TECHNOLOGY INDICATION” filed on Feb. 12, 2016, the contents ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to systems and methods forcommunicating information related to a network access technology beingused between devices.

BACKGROUND

Many of today's network devices are capable of accessing communicationnetworks using multiple technologies. For instance, a mobile device canbe capable of establishing both a cellular connection such as Long TermEvolution (LTE) and/or a local area network (LAN) connection via WiFi orother means.

Some devices are further capable of sharing their network connectionwith other devices, thus acting as a router or access point for theother devices. This feature allows for sharing a single Internetconnection on one device between other devices on the same LAN. In somesituations, the device acting as an access point will use one type ofaccess technology for its northbound connection to the network andanother type of access technology for sharing its southbound connectionwith the other devices.

A device may be configured to have different modes of operation,behaviors or actions which can depend on the specific access technologyused. As such, the capabilities of the device can be dynamic and dependon its type of network connection. Some issues can arise when a deviceis capable of connecting with multiple access technologies.

Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system and method thatobviate or mitigate the above described problems.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at leastone disadvantage of the prior art.

In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a methodfor selecting mode of operation of a network device. The method includesestablishing, by the network device, a local network connection with anaccess point using a first type of access technology. An indication of asecond type of access technology used by the access point to connect toan access network is received from the access point. A mode of operationof the network device is selected in accordance with the second type ofaccess technology used by the access point.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a networkdevice comprising circuitry including a processor and a memory, thememory containing instructions executable by the processor whereby thenetwork device is operative to establish a local network connection withan access point using a first type of access technology. The networkdevice is operative to receive, from the access point, an indication ofa second type of access technology used by the access point to connectto an access network. The network device is operative to select a modeof operation of the network device in accordance with the second type ofaccess technology used by the access point.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a userequipment comprising a network connection module for establishing alocal network connection with an access point using a first type ofnetwork connection, and for receiving an indication of a second type ofaccess technology used by the access point to connect to an accessnetwork; and an operating mode module for selecting a mode of operationof the network device in accordance with the second access technologyused by the access point.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computerreadable storage medium storing executable instructions, which whenexecuted by a processor, cause the processor to establish a localnetwork connection between a network device and an access point using afirst type of access technology; receive an indication of a second typeof access technology used by the access point to connect to an accessnetwork; and select a mode of operation of the network device inaccordance with the second type of access technology used by the accesspoint.

In some embodiments, the mode of operation of the network device can beselected in accordance with the second type of access technology used bythe access point and a type of power source used by the network device.The type of power source used by the network device can be determined.The network device can select between using the second type of accesstechnology and/or the type of power source to determine the mode ofoperation. The mode of operation of the network device can be selectedfurther based at least in part on the first type of network technologyused by the network device.

In some embodiments, the network device can be tethered to the accesspoint via one of a wireless connection or a wired connection, and theaccess point can be connected to the access network via a cellularconnection.

In some embodiments, it can be determined that the first type of accesstechnology and the second type of access technology are different accesstechnologies. Responsive to determining that the first type of accesstechnology and the second type of access technologies are differentaccess technologies, the network device can switch from selecting themode of operation in accordance with the first type of access technologyto selecting the mode of operation in accordance with the second type ofaccess technology.

In some embodiments, the indication of the second type of accesstechnology used by the access point is received over the local networkconnection. The indication of the second type of access technology canbe included in at least one of a local network advertisement message, anetwork information control message, or a router advertisement message.

In some embodiments, selecting the mode of operation can includerestricting data communication activity of the network device and/orrestricting processing activity of the network device.

The various aspects and embodiments described herein can be combinedalternatively, optionally and/or in addition to one another.

Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparentto those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the followingdescription of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction withthe accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the attached Figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication network;

FIG. 2 illustrates an Uplink Access Technology (UAT) Option Layout;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example set of values for the UAT field;

FIG. 4a is a flow chart illustrating a method for communicating accesstechnology information;

FIG. 4b is a flow chart illustrating a method for communicating accesstechnology information;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for selecting mode ofoperation;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a network device;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an access point device; and

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a user equipment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference may be made below to specific elements, numbered in accordancewith the attached figures. The discussion below should be taken to beexemplary in nature, and not as limiting of the scope of the presentinvention. The scope of the present invention is defined in the claims,and should not be considered as limited by the implementation detailsdescribed below, which as one skilled in the art will appreciate, can bemodified by replacing elements with equivalent functional elements.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to mechanisms forsharing access technology information between network access points andtheir connected devices. A connected device can operate in accordancewith the type of access technology that is used by its access point forits network connection.

In an exemplary Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) network, RouterAdvertisements can be used for providing common configurationinformation to nodes that are attached. It may be advantageous for arouter to be capable of providing its uplink network access technologyinformation and/or for an attached node to be capable of obtainingknowledge of the access technology used by the router. Embodiments ofthe present disclosure provide a neighbor discovery option that willallow routers to share this information.

In IPv6 and other networks, the access technology used by routers ontheir uplinks (e.g. the connection to an access network such as theInternet) can be different from the access technologies used on theirdownlinks (e.g. the local network provided by the router). There aresome scenarios where it may be advantageous for a router to provide itsuplink access technology information to the host(s) attached on thedownlink(s). One such example is a “tethering” scenario where a mobilephone that uses a cellular network connection, such as LTE, shares itsinternet connection with other devices that connect over a localconnection, such as a wired connection or a WiFi network link. In thiscase it may be beneficial for the device(s) to know that the actualnetwork connection of the mobile phone acting as the access point is acellular link, even though the device is connected via WiFi. The hostdevices can potentially modify their behavior based on this knowledge.For example, application and software updates (and similar bulktransfers) that are dependent on a network connection could berescheduled based on administrative configuration.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the terminologyof “uplink” and “downlink” is used herein to differentiate between thetwo distinct connections associated with a router/access point. Thefirst connection is the router's “uplink” network connection to anaccess network, which is commonly referred to as its northboundconnection. The second connection is the “downlink” local networkconnection that is provided by the router, which is commonly referred toas its southbound connection. Any reference to uplink/downlink isrelative to the router's connection “up” to the access network and“down” to any connected devices, and is not intended specify the flow ofdata. It will be appreciated that, in this context, both the uplink anddownlink connections of a router can carry bi-directional traffic.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, in this context, anorthbound interface refers to an interface that allows an access pointto communicate with an access network. Conversely, a southboundinterface allows the access point to communicate with an attacheddevice.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication network architecture. Anexample network 100 can be a private network such as a telecommunicationoperator network, or a public network such as the Internet. A router oraccess point 120 connects to the network 100 via a northbound networkconnection 110. Depending on the router device 120 and/or the network100 and/or other factors, multiple types of access technologies can beused to establish the network connection 110. In one example embodiment,router 120 can be a first user equipment (UE) that establishes an LTEcellular connection 110 with the network 100 (e.g. via a base stationsuch as an eNodeB).

The first UE 120 can be capable of tethering, or sharing its networkconnection with other devices (such as other laptops, mobile phones,tablets, etc.). The southbound local connection of the first UE 120 tothe other devices can be established over wireless LAN (e.g. WiFi), overBluetooth, by physical connection using a cable (e.g. through UniversalSerial Bus (USB)), or by any other means. If tethering is done overWiFi, the feature is commonly referred to as a “mobile hotspot”.Therefore the network-connected first UE 120 acts as a portable accesspoint and router for the devices connected to it.

In FIG. 1, a second UE 140 is shown as connected to the router device120 via the router's southbound local connection 130. As discussedabove, the local network connection 130 can be a WiFi connection. Inthis example embodiment, the northbound (network) 110 and the southbound(local) 130 connections of the router 120 use different accesstechnology types. From the perspective of the second UE 140, it isnetwork-connected using WiFi. Conventionally, the second UE 140 has noknowledge that it is ultimately connected to the access network 100 viathe LTE connection 110 of its access point 120. Embodiments of thepresent disclosure provide mechanisms for an access point 120 tocommunicate the network access technology (e.g. LTE) is it using to anyconnected devices, such as the second UE 140.

The second UE 140 may be configured to operate in different modesdepending on its connection type. For example, the UE 140 can beconfigured to operate in a first mode when its connection type is WiFi.In this first mode of operation, the UE 140 may automatically performsome functions related to downloading and/or uploading information. Forexample, the UE 140 can be configured to automatically download updatesto software or applications whenever it is connected via WiFi. The UE140 can be configured to automatically upload photos and/or videos tonetwork storage when connected via WiFi.

The UE 140 can further be configured to operate in a second mode whenits connection type is cellular (e.g. LTE, 4G, 3G, CDMA, etc.). In thissecond mode of operation, the UE 140 may be configured to suspenddownloading or uploading functions while connected via cellular.Alternatively, UE 140 can be configured to prompt the user forconfirmation of a performing a downloading or uploading task whilecellular-connected, as opposed to automatically starting the task whenWiFi-connected.

Conventionally, the UE 140 can select between these different modes ofoperation based on its connection 130. However, as has been described inthe tethering example of FIG. 1, the network connection 110 of therouter device 120 may be the more important factor in determining themode of operation of the UE 140. Router 120 can be configured totransmit a message including an indication of its northbound networkaccess technology to UE 140. UE 140 can be configured to receive such acommunication and to modify its behavior in accordance with the networkaccess technology used by its access point 120 (e.g. as opposed to, orin combination with, using the access technology type of its localconnection 130).

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that multiple message types andformats can be used to communicate this information between routers andtheir connected devices. Protocols such as Dynamic Host ConfigurationProtocol version 6 (DHCPv6) can similarly be used to convey thisinformation. The embodiments described herein are provided asnon-limiting, illustrative examples.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in common networkingscenarios, such as wireless local area network (WLAN) described inInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, adevice must be in an authenticated and associated state before sendingtraffic through an access point. The device can send probe messages todiscover networks in its proximity and/or the access point can sendnetwork advertisement messages (e.g. such as periodically sending aservice set identifier (SSID) beacon). A series of configuration ormanagement messages can be exchanged to establish Layer 2 connectivitybetween the access point and the device. In some embodiments, one ormore of these connection establishment messages can be used by an accesspoint to advertise its uplink/northbound network access technology(ies)to a device.

In some embodiments, an IPv6 Neighbor Discovery option (such asdescribed in Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comments(RFC) 4861) can be used by an access point to advertise itsuplink/northbound network access technology(ies) in a routeradvertisement message, following the establishment of connectivitybetween the access point and a device.

IPv6 nodes (hosts and routers) on the same link use the NeighborDiscovery Protocol to discover each other's presence, to determine eachother's link-layer addresses, to find routers, and to maintainreachability information about the paths to active neighbors. Hosts alsouse Neighbor Discovery to find neighboring routers that are willing toforward packets on their behalf. The Neighbor Discovery Protocol definespacket types for the purpose of router solicitation, routeradvertisement, neighbor solicitation, neighbor advertisement, andnetwork redirects. Routers can advertise their presence together withvarious link and Internet parameters either periodically, or in responseto a Router Solicitation message, by a Router Advertisement message.Hosts can thus discover/locate routers residing on attached links.

A router periodically broadcasts a Router Advertisement packetannouncing its availability. A host receives Router Advertisements fromall routers, building a list of default routers. Routers can generateRouter Advertisements frequently enough that hosts will learn of theirpresence quickly, but not frequently enough to rely on an absence ofadvertisements to detect a router failure. Router Advertisements containa number of parameters that are used by the host(s) to establish aconnection (e.g. to be able to send packets) to the router. RouterAdvertisements carry link-layer addresses, such that no additionalpacket exchange is needed to resolve the router's link-layer address.

The Router Advertisement message format includes a number of definedfields as specified in RFC 4861 (e.g. IP source address, IP destinationaddress, router lifetime, reachable time, retransmission time) as wellas optional fields.

FIG. 2 illustrates one example of an Uplink Access Technology (UAT)option field layout 200 which can be carried in Router Advertisementmessages broadcast by a router on a given link. It can be used tospecify the uplink network type(s) that the router uses. This exampleUplink Access Technology option 200 can include Type, Length, and UplinkAccess Technology fields.

Type is an 8-bit identifier of the type of option. The option identifierfor the UAT option can be allocated by the Internet Assigned NumbersAuthority (IANA).

Length is an 8-bit unsigned integer. The length of the option (includingthe type and length fields) in units of 8 octets. It can be set to 1.

Uplink Access Technology is a 16-bit field that specifies theuplink/northbound access technology used by the router sending theRouter Advertisement carrying this option.

Multiple UAT options can be added to a single Router Advertisementmessage to allow for routers that use multiple uplink networkconnections, using different access technologies.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example set of initial values 300 for the UATfield that can be extended by adding new values to the IANA registry.For example, 0x01 can be the value used in the UAT field to indicate a3GPP type of uplink access technology connection, 0x02 for DigitalSubscriber Line (DSL), 0x03 for Cable, 0x04 for Ethernet, etc. Thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that these values are provided as anon-limiting example only, and can be set accordingly to identify anddifferentiate between different access technologies as required.

The value of the UAT(s) provided in this option can either beadministratively configured or implicitly derived from the accesstechnology type on the uplink interfaces. The router will set the valueof the UAT field in accordance with its uplink network connectivity.

The value of the UAT(s) provided in this option is informational for thehost(s). It can help the hosts gleam additional information about therouter's network connection and perform different actions accordingly.Legacy hosts that do not recognize this option field can simply ignoreit.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate anon-limiting example embodiment. The described UAT information can beprovided by an access point to a host device in a variety of differentmessages and/or formats. Further, the UAT information can provide moreor less detail about the specific type of access technology used asrequired. In some embodiments the UAT information can indicate a generaltype of access technology, such as “cellular” or “WLAN”. In otherembodiments, more specific types of access technology can be specified,such as “LTE”, “3G”, “unlicensed”, “licensed”, “WiFi”, “Bluetooth”, etc.

FIG. 4a is a flow chart illustrating a method for communicating networkaccess technology information. The method can be performed by a networkdevice as described herein that is operative to provide a networkconnection to other devices and thus, act as a router or an access pointfor the other devices. The access point device establishes a networkconnection with an access network using a first access technology (block400). The first access technology defines the type of connection (i.e.cellular, Ethernet, etc.) by which the access point connects to theaccess network.

The access point device then transmits a local network connectionadvertisement (block 410). In some embodiments, the advertisement can betransmitted using a second access technology. The advertisement can betransmitted to a particular device or alternatively, the advertisementcan be broadcasted as a device-nonspecific message. For example, theadvertisement can be multicast to zero or more devices. In someembodiments, the first and second access technologies can be differenttypes of access technologies.

The access point device transmits an indication of the first accesstechnology used for the network connection (block 420). The indicationcan be broadcast over the local network. The indication can betransmitted to at least one device connected to the local network. Insome embodiments, the indication of the network connection accesstechnology can be included in the local connection advertisementmessage. In other embodiments, it can be included in a separate,subsequent message.

In some embodiments, the transmitted local network connectionadvertisement (block 410) can be a network information control message.A network information control message can be a configuration or amanagement message associated with the local network, such as a WiFibeacon. Optionally, the indication of the first access technology can beincluded in such a network information control message. In otherembodiments, the indication of the first access technology can be sentin a subsequent message.

In some embodiments, the transmitted local connection advertisement(block 410) can be a Router Advertisement message. Optionally, theindication of the first access technology can be included in such aRouter Advertisement message. In some embodiments, an option field canbe added to the Router Advertisement message, the option fieldidentifying the type of access technology used by the access point toconnect to the access network.

In some optional embodiments, the indication of the first accesstechnology can be transmitted in response to determining that the firstaccess technology (e.g. used for the uplink/northbound connection to theaccess network) and the second access technology (e.g. used for thedownlink/southbound connection to the local network) are different typesof access technologies. In some embodiments, the indication of the firstaccess technology can be transmitted in response to determining that theaccess point is offering a tethered (wired or wireless) local networkconnection.

In some embodiments, the local connection advertisement and/or theindication of the first access technology can be transmitted by theaccess point device periodically.

In some embodiments, a plurality of network access technologies used bythe access point can be indicated.

In some embodiments, a connection between the access point and a devicecan be established following the transmission of the connectionadvertisement message (block 410). The access point can receive packetsfrom the device.

In some embodiments, the indication of the first access technology canbe transmitted to cause the at least one device to select a mode ofoperation. The mode of operation of the device can be configured,modified, selected, etc. at least partially in accordance with the firstaccess technology used by the access point.

FIG. 4b is a flow chart illustrating an alternative method forcommunicating network access technology information. The method can beperformed by an access point device as described herein. The accesspoint device establishes a network connection with an access networkusing a first access technology (block 430). In an exemplary embodiment,the access point can connect to the access network via a cellular (e.g.LTE) connection.

The access point device transmits a local network connectionadvertisement (block 440). In some embodiments, the advertisement can betransmitted using a second access technology, such as WiFi for example.In some embodiments, the access point can advertise a tethered or mobilehotspot network. In some embodiments, the local network advertisementcan be broadcast towards one or more devices.

The access point receives a connection, or connection request, from afirst device (block 450). The connection can be received over the localnetwork requesting access for the first device to the local network.

The access point transmits, to the first device, an indication of thefirst access technology used for its network connection with the accessnetwork (block 460). In some embodiments, the indication of the firstaccess technology can be included in the local network connectionadvertisement broadcast by the access point. In other embodiments, theindication of the first access technology can be included in at leastone other message.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for selecting an operatingmode. The method can be performed by a network device or UE as have beendescribed herein. The method begins by the network device establishing alocal network connection with an access point (block 500). The localnetwork connection can be established using a first type of accesstechnology (e.g. a WiFi connection).

In some embodiments, the local network connection can be establishedresponsive to receiving a local network advertisement from the accesspoint. The local network advertisement can be a connection advertisementmessage. The connection advertisement message can indicate theavailability of a local network. In some embodiments, the local networkadvertisement can be a network information control message, such as aWiFi beacon, sent by the access point. In some embodiments, the localnetwork advertisement can be a Router Advertisement message sent by theaccess point. In some embodiments, the local network advertisement canbe broadcast, by the access point, using a first type of accesstechnology (e.g. WiFi).

The network device receives an indication of the type of accesstechnology used by the access point to connect to an access network(block 510). In some embodiments, the access technology used by theaccess point can be a second type of access technology (e.g. a cellularconnection). The indication can be received from the access point overthe established local network connection.

In some embodiments, this indication can be received in a connectionadvertisement, as described above or alternatively, in anothersubsequent message. The network device can determine the type of accesstechnology used by the access point to connect to the access network inaccordance with the indicator.

In some embodiments, the network device determines that the first typeof access technology (i.e. used for the local connection between thenetwork device and the access point) and the second type of the accesstechnology (i.e. used for the access network connection between theaccess point and the access network) are different types of accesstechnologies. In one example, the network device can be tethered to theaccess point via a wireless connection (e.g. WiFi) or a wiredconnection, and the access point can be connected to the access networkvia a cellular (e.g. 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, etc.) connection.

In some embodiments, when multiple routers/access points are present,the information advertised collectively by all routers may be a supersetof the information contained in a single connection advertisement.Additional information may be obtained by the device through otherdynamic means such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).

In some embodiments, the network device can store any receivedconnection advertisement information in a router list. On receipt of avalid connection advertisement, the device can extract the sourceaddress of the packet and process it as required. If the address is notalready present in the device's router list, it can create a new entryin the list, and initialize any required values as indicated. If theaddress is already present in the device's router list (e.g. as a resultof a previously received advertisement), the device can reset valuessuch as its invalidation timer to the Router Lifetime value in the newlyreceived advertisement. If the address is already present in thedevice's router list and the received Router Lifetime value is zero, thedevice can immediately time-out the entry.

In some embodiments, after extracting information from the fixed part ofthe connection advertisement message, the advertisement can be scannedfor valid option fields. If the advertisement contains an option fieldindicating an access technology or access technology type used by theaccess point device, the indicated network access technology can bestored accordingly in the device's router list. In some embodiments, theaccess technology information can be included in an Uplink AccessTechnology (UAT) option field in a received local network advertisementmessage, a network information control message, or a routeradvertisement message.

The network device then selects a mode of operation in accordance withthe type of access technology used by the access point to connect to theaccess network (block 520). In some embodiments, the mode of operationis selected to restrict or limit data communication activity of thenetwork device. In some embodiments, the mode of operation is selectedto restrict or limit processing activity of the network device. This caninclude setting, configuring and/or modifying device behaviors oractions based on the access point's network connection type. In someembodiments, this can include modifying policies referring to thedevice's access technology to instead use the access point's accesstechnology. This can include limiting the size and/or duration of anydata communication activity (upload and/or download functionality) ofthe device while the access point uses the network access technologyindicated.

In some embodiments, the determination of the mode of operation (block520) can be based further in accordance with a type of power source usedby the network device.

The type of power source used by the network device can be determined tobe battery, AC or DC charging, fast-charger, slow-charger, portablepower bank/external battery, wireless charging, inductive charging, etc.as non-limiting examples. In some embodiments, the network devicereceives an indication of the power source type from the power sourceitself, e.g. over the power connection. Some types of charger caninclude a data line as well as a power connection for providing thistype of power connection information.

In some embodiments, the network device can select between using thetype of access technology used by the access point or the type of powersource used by the device to determine the mode of operation.

In some embodiments, responsive to determining that the first type ofaccess technology and the second type of access technologies aredifferent access technologies, the network device can switch fromselecting its mode of operation in accordance with the first type ofaccess technology to selecting its mode of operation in accordance withthe second type of access technology.

In some embodiments, the determination of the mode of operation (block520) can be based further in accordance with the first type of networktechnology used by the network device.

In some embodiments, the device can be configured to alert and/or promptthe user upon determining that the access technology of the device andthe network access technology of the access point are different. Theuser can be prompted to select a course of action (e.g. select anoperating mode) for the device.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example network device 600according to embodiments of the present invention. Network device 600can be any of the router, host, access point, mobile device, or UE nodesas have been described herein. The network device 600 includes circuitryincluding a processor 602, a memory or instruction repository 604 and acommunication interface 606. The communication interface 606 can includeat least one input port and at least one output port. When operative asa router/access point, the communication interface 606 can include anaccess network communication interface and a local network communicationinterface. The memory 604 contains instructions executable by theprocessor 602 whereby the network device 600 is operable to perform thevarious embodiments as described herein. In some embodiments, thenetwork device 600 can included virtualized components hosted by theunderlying physical hardware. Network device 600 can be configured toimplement any of the methods and procedures illustrated in FIGS. 4a, 4band 5.

When operative as an access point, device 600 is configured to establisha network connection with an access network using a first accesstechnology. Device 600 then transmits a local network advertisement andtransmits an indication of the first access technology used for thenetwork connection to the access network.

When operative as a mobile device, device 600 is configured to establisha local network connection with an access point using a first type ofaccess technology. Device 600 also receives an indication of a secondtype of access technology used by the access point to connect to anaccess network. In some embodiments, device 600 is further configured toselect a mode of operation in accordance with the indicated second typeof access technology.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an example access point device 700according to embodiments of the present invention. The access pointdevice can be a user equipment capable of sharing its network connectionwith one or more other devices. The access point device can include anorthbound connection module 710 and a southbound connection module 720.The northbound connection module 710 can be configured to establish anuplink/northbound network connection using a first access technology.The southbound connection module 720 can be configured to transmit adownlink/southbound connection advertisement to at least one otherdevice using a second access technology. The southbound connectionmodule 710 can be further configured to transmit an indication, to theat least one other device, that the northbound network connection module710 uses the first access technology to connect to the access network.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an example user equipment 800 according toembodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, the userequipment 800 can be tethered to an access point device. The userequipment 800 can include a network connection module 810 and operatingmode module 820. The network connection module 810 can be configured toreceive a connection advertisement from an access point and to establisha local network connection with the access point. The network connectionmodule 810 can be further configured to receive an indication of theuplink/northbound access technology that is used by the access point toconnect to an access network. The operating mode module 820 can beconfigured to determine a mode of operation for the user equipment inaccordance with the access technology used by the access point. In someembodiments, the connection advertisement can be received over a firsttype of access technology (e.g. WiFi) and the uplink/northbound accesstechnology used by the access point can be a second type of accesstechnology (e.g. cellular). In some embodiments, the operating modemodule 820 can be configured to select between a plurality of operatingmodes, each corresponding to a different access technology type, inaccordance with the indicated uplink/northbound access technology usedby the access point.

Embodiments of the present invention may be represented as a softwareproduct stored in a machine-readable medium (also referred to as acomputer-readable medium, a processor-readable medium, or a computerusable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein).The non-transitory machine-readable medium may be any suitable tangiblemedium including a magnetic, optical, or electrical storage mediumincluding a diskette, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), digitalversatile disc read only memory (DVD-ROM) memory device (volatile ornon-volatile), or similar storage mechanism. The machine-readable mediummay contain various sets of instructions, code sequences, configurationinformation, or other data, which, when executed, cause a processor toperform steps in a method according to an embodiment of the invention.Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that otherinstructions and operations necessary to implement the describedinvention may also be stored on the machine-readable medium. Softwarerunning from the machine-readable medium may interface with circuitry toperform the described tasks.

As used herein, relational terms, such as “first,” “second,” “top” and“bottom,” and the like, may be used solely to distinguish one entity orelement from another entity or element without necessarily requiring orimplying any physical or logical relationship or order between suchentities or elements. The terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments only and is not intended to belimiting of the concepts described herein. As used herein, the singularforms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms aswell, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be furtherunderstood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” and/or“including” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features,integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do notpreclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention are intended tobe examples only. Alterations, modifications and variations may beeffected to the particular embodiments by those of skill in the artwithout departing from the scope of the invention, which is definedsolely by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for selecting mode of operation of anetwork device, the method comprising: establishing, by the networkdevice, a local network connection with an access point using a firsttype of access technology; receiving, from the access point, anindication of a second type of access technology used by the accesspoint to connect to an access network; and selecting a mode of operationof the network device in accordance with the second type of accesstechnology used by the access point.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising, selecting the mode of operation of the network device inaccordance with the second type of access technology used by the accesspoint and a type of power source used by the network device.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, further comprising, determining the type of powersource used by the network device.
 4. The method of claim 2, whereinselecting the mode of operation of the network device includes selectingbetween using the second type of access technology or the type of powersource to determine the mode of operation.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein selecting the mode of operation of the network device is furtherbased at least in part on the first type of network technology used bythe network device.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network deviceis tethered to the access point via one of a wireless connection or awired connection, and the access point is connected to the accessnetwork via a cellular connection.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising, determining that the first type of access technology and thesecond type of access technology are different access technologies. 8.The method of claim 7, further comprising, responsive to determiningthat the first type of access technology and the second type of accesstechnologies are different access technologies, switching from selectingthe mode of operation of the network device in accordance with the firsttype of access technology to selecting the mode of operation of thenetwork device in accordance with the second type of access technology.9. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the second type ofaccess technology used by the access point is received over the localnetwork connection.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication ofthe second type of access technology is included in at least one of alocal network advertisement message, a network information controlmessage, or a router advertisement message.
 11. The method of claim 1,wherein selecting the mode of operation includes restricting datacommunication activity of the network device.
 12. The method of claim 1,wherein selecting the mode of operation includes restricting processingactivity of the network device.
 13. A network device comprisingcircuitry including a processor and a memory, the memory containinginstructions executable by the processor whereby the network device isoperative to: establish a local network connection with an access pointusing a first type of access technology; receive, from the access point,an indication of a second type of access technology used by the accesspoint to connect to an access network; and select a mode of operation ofthe network device in accordance with the second type of accesstechnology used by the access point.
 14. The network device of claim 13,further operative to, select the mode of operation of the network devicein accordance with the second type of access technology used by theaccess point and a type of power source used by the network device. 15.The network device of claim 14, further operative to, determine the typeof power source used by the network device.
 16. The network device ofclaim 14, wherein selecting the mode of operation of the network deviceincludes selecting between using the second type of access technology orthe type of power source to determine the mode of operation.
 17. Thenetwork device of claim 13, wherein selecting the mode of operation ofthe network device is further based at least in part on the first typeof network technology used by the network device.
 18. The network deviceof claim 13, wherein the network device is tethered to the access pointvia one of a wireless connection or a wired connection, and the accesspoint is connected to the access network via a cellular connection. 19.The network device of claim 13, further operative to, determine that thefirst type of access technology and the second type of access technologyare different access technologies.
 20. The network device of claim 19,further operative to, responsive to determining that the first type ofaccess technology and the second type of access technologies aredifferent access technologies, switch from selecting the mode ofoperation of the network device in accordance with the first type ofaccess technology to selecting the mode of operation of the networkdevice in accordance with the second type of access technology.
 21. Thenetwork device of claim 13, wherein the indication of the second type ofaccess technology used by the access point is received over the localnetwork connection.
 22. The network device of claim 13, wherein theindication of the second type of access technology is included in atleast one of a local network advertisement message, a networkinformation control message, or a router advertisement message.
 23. Thenetwork device of claim 13, wherein selecting the mode of operationincludes restricting data communication activity of the network device.24. The network device of claim 13, wherein selecting the mode ofoperation includes restricting processing activity of the networkdevice.
 25. A user equipment comprising: a network connection module forestablishing a local network connection with an access point using afirst type of network connection, and for receiving an indication of asecond type of access technology used by the access point to connect toan access network; and an operating mode module for selecting a mode ofoperation of the network device in accordance with the second accesstechnology used by the access point.
 26. A computer readable storagemedium storing executable instructions, which when executed by aprocessor, cause the processor to: establish a local network connectionbetween a network device and an access point using a first type ofaccess technology; receive an indication of a second type of accesstechnology used by the access point to connect to an access network; andselect a mode of operation of the network device in accordance with thesecond type of access technology used by the access point.